Israeli officer killed in Lebanon, Israel kills 5 in Gaza, West Bank

An Israeli military officer was killed and three soldiers lightly injured in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said Thursday, reported Xinhua.

The military identified the officer as Captain Eliav Haim Tzapalamus, 21, a combat officer in the 603rd Battalion of the 7th Brigade. It said he was killed "during combat," without elaborating.

The three injured soldiers were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment, it added.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan TV news reported that the incident occurred when a military Humvee overturned near the Litani River in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces remain deployed despite a ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, five Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on Wednesday, according to Palestinian medical and local sources.

In Gaza, an Israeli drone fired a missile at a site in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza, killing 60-year-old Hisham Abu Mustafa and injuring several others, according to the sources.

Three other Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli attacks in Khan Younis and northern Gaza, including Mohammed Tamous, a member of the Palestinian Civil Defense, who was killed while on his way to evacuate wounded people near Kamal Adwan Hospital.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Ali al-Bazari, 44, was killed and nine others were injured when Israeli forces and settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in Burqa, north of Nablus.

The latest violence came on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the current round of conflict in Gaza.

Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh described the incidents as a "dangerous escalation," accusing the Israeli government of supporting systematic attacks against Palestinians and calling on the international community and the UN Security Council to take measures against such attacks.

Gaza's health authorities said in their daily report that the Palestinian death toll since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025 had reached 1,467, with 5,161 others injured. The total death toll since Oct. 7, 2023 stood at 74,250, with 175,278 injured.